Flexible bag construction



May 19, 1979 E, EVANS ETAL 3,512,700

FLEXiBLE BAG cons'rnuc'non Filed 001;. so, 1968 i i I I l l i i I l l l I ZIJ 22 INVENTORS EDWARD E. ,EVANS RANK R. MILLION PM VA Mvr /L/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,512,700 Patented May 19, 1970 3,512,700 FLEXIBLE BAG CONSTRUCTION Edward E. Evans, Shaker Heights, and Frank R. Million, Northfield, Ohio, assignors to The Jaite Display Bag Company, Peninsula, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 771,863 Int. Cl. B65d 33/16 US. Cl. 229-53 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flexible bag for packaging rounded items. The bag is formed from two panels superimposed one in front of the other and has a gusseted base portion of unique configuration that joins the bottom edges of the superimposed panels to pemit conformation of the bag to rounded items without puckering. The base portion has a pair of flap walls joined by a gusset fold, each flap wall being contiguously overlaid by one panel when the bag is in the empty, collapsed state. The gusset fold extends generally transversely between lateral, spaced side folds that join the superimposed panels along two additional edges. Oppositely of the gusset fold each flap wall is joined to its overlaid panel by a flap fold that extends between the junctures of the gusset fold with the lateral side folds along a locus of points that are curvilinear at least in proximity to the junctures and which are, except at the junctures, oriented in spaced relation to the gusset fold.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The packaging of items in flexible bags is not a new art but considerable refinement and sophistication has been introduced since the comparatively recent advent of plastic film.

The first efforts to package with plastic film utilized two, superimposed, flat sheets of film that were simply joined together to form a fiat bag. In order to provide a semblance of conformity of a flat bag with the item to be packaged, the panels were joined along a pattern outlining the object to be received therein. However, smooth conformity was possible only if the item being packaged had no appreciable thickness inasmuch as the appearance made by such a package degenerates in direct proportion to the thickness of the item, the degeneration being evidenced by multitudinous, unsightly folds, or puckers, that form in the bag as the two superimposed panels of the flat bag bend transversely their normal plane in an attempt to accommodate the thickness of an item positioned between the panels.

Motivated by the desire to eliminate the many puckers that form in a flat bag in which an item of appreciable thickness is received, Workers in this art experimented with the use of gussets along one or more of the edges of the bag. When the sides of the bag are gusseted, the bottom presents a pinched, flange-like tab when a relatively thick item is received therein. When the bottom of the bag is gusseted the appearance of the bag was further enhanced because this bottom gusseted bag left only two, earlike puckers, one at each intersection of the bottom with the side edges of the bag.

For packaging items having the geometric configuration of certain hexahedrons even the two, earlike puckers were eliminated by the square bottom bag. This bag is also gusseted along the bottom, but differs from the standard bottom gusseted bag in that the outermost fold of the gusset is joined to each of the bags two side seams along four additional seams oriented at 45 with respect to the side seams. A bag so constructed is capable of receiving a hexahedron, and particularly a right parallelepiped,

without any folds or puckers, However, a relatively thick item having rounded edges causes even this type bag to pucker.

The art relative to packaging rounded items goes back many years. Even in the late 1800s when pulp, or paper, bags were in vogue, the art had devised a bag for packaging a cylinderical item without puckering, so long as the cylinder had planar ends. And, of course, disc-like items of minimal thickness can be received in flat, round bottom bags. But no one has heretofore devised a bag for packaging rounded items having appreciable thickness. Excellent examples of such items are a stack of nested, paper plates or a round loaf of bread.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a flexible bag in which a rounded object can be packaged without the bag puckering.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a flexible bag, as above, that can, when empty, be stored flat.

These and other objects which will become apparent from the following specification are accomplished by means hereinafter described and claimed.

In general, a flexible bag embodying the concept of the present invention, when empty and collapsed, has first and second superimposed panels joined along two edges by lateral, spaced side folds and along the third edge by a base portion. The base portion has first and second flap walls that are interjoined by a gusset fold. The first flap wall is joined to the first panel and the second flap wall is joined to the second panel by fiap folds. The flaps folds extend between the junctures of the gusset fold with the two side folds along a locus of points that is curvilinear at least adjacent the said junctures and which, except at the junctures, lie in spaced relation to the gusset fold.

One preferred embodiment is shown by Way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail without attempting show all of the various forms and the modifications in which the invention might be embodied; the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible bag constructed in accordance with the concept of the present invention and depicted with a nested stack of paper plates packaged therein;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a frontal elevation of the bag represented in FIGS. 1-3 depicted empty and folded for flat storage; and,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 55 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTIONN OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A flexible bag embodying the concept of the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 on the attached drawings. The bag 10 is comprised of first and second superimposed panels 11 and 12, each panel preferably having four edges. The two superimposed panels 11 and 12 are joined along at least three of said edges. Two of the joined edges form lateral, spaced side folds 13 and 14, and the third edges of the two panels are interconnected by a base portion, indicated generally by the numeral 15. The fourth edges of the panels 11 and 12 may be left unconnected in order to provide an opening for the bag 10.

The base portion primarily comprises two flap walls 18 and 19 joined by a gusset fold 20. The gusset fold 20 extends generally transversely between the side folds 13 and 14 with the first, or front panel 11 overlying the first flap wall 18 and the second, or rear, panel 12 overlying the second flap wall 19'when the bag 10 is empty and collapsed, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. p

The panels 11 and 12 are joined to' the flap walls 18 and 19, which they'overlie, by flap folds 21 and 22, respectively. The flap folds 21 and 22 extend between the juncture 23 of the gusset fold 20 with the side fold 13 and the juncture 24 of the gusset-fold 20 with the side fold 14 along a locusof points curvilinear at least adjacent'thejunctures 23 and 24. As best seen in'FIG; 4, the flap folds, except at junctures 23 and 24, are oriented in spaced relation with respect to the gusset fold 20.

In the embodiment depicted each flap fold has a curvilinear portion 25 that-extends arcuately from the junctures 23 and 24 to a medial, linear portion 26 spaced outwardly of, and generally parallel to,- the gusset fold 20. L

Although the curvilinear portion 25 is arcuate, and therefore possessed of a constant degree of curvature, the curvilinear portion 25 could be generated with a constant change in the degree of curvature, as in a spiral, or with a varied change'in the degree of curvature, as, for example, -in a parabolic curve.

Similarly, the flop fold may, or may not, possess the linear portion 26. As such, a bag 10 constructed according to the concept of the present invention may be adapted to conform to the outline of a curved item by selecting a suitable curvature for the flap fold in conjunction with a suitable dimension X between the side folds 13 and 14 and a suitable dimension Y between the gusset fold 20 and the apogee-the linear portion 26 in the embodiment depicted-of the flap fold. With the dimensions and-style of curvilinear portion for the flap fold thus properly selected, a rounded item canbe packaged in a flexible bag without unslightly puckering.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a bag constructed with properly selected dimensions may be used to-stack a rounded object of appreciable thickness, such as the nested stack of paper plates depicted. With the plates 30 received within bag 10 the flap folds 21 and 22 move apart until the gusset fold 20 and the flap walls 18 and- 19 lie in transverse alignment therebetween. The curvilinear portions 25 of the flap folds 21 and 22 not only permit the flap walls 18 and 19 to conform substantially to the curved perpihery of the plates 30 but also permit corners to form from the panel material as the panels bend transversely to accommodate the thickness of the nested plates 30 and further assure that the corners so formed will merge with the bottom and sides of the package without unsightly puckers. As best seen in FIG. 1, an exemplary corner 31 forms in the front panel 11, the corner 31 being spaced forwardly of the side fold 14 and smoothly merging with the flap fold 21, as at 32, to eliminate puckering. Accordingly, even though the flap folds 21 and 22 are provided with a linear portion 26, the base 15 Will substantially conform (FIG. 2) to a completely arcuate item such as the plates 30 and yet so merge with the front and rear panels 11 and 12 as to provide a smoothly conforming package.

The objects of the invention have thus been accomplished.

We claim:

1. A flexible bag for holding rounded objects, said bag comprising, first and second superimposed panels, said panels being joined along three edges, the fourth edge of said panels forming the bag opening, laterally spaced side folds defining the joinder along two edges of the superimposed panels and a base forming the joinder along the third edges, said base having first and second flap walls joined along a gusset fold, said gusset fold extending generally transversely between lateral junctures of said gusset fold with said side folds, the first flap wall joined only to said first panel along a first flap fold, the second flap wall joined only to said second panel along a second flap fold, said separate flap folds extending between the juncture of said gusset fold with each side fold along a locus of points that is curvilinear along at least va portion of said flap folds and oriented in spaced relation with respect to said gusset fold.

2. A flexible bag, as set forth in claim 1, in which the curvilinear portions of said flap folds are adjacent said junctures of the gusset fold with said lateral side folds.

3. A flexible bag, as set forth in claim 2, in which a linear portion is included in each flap fold medially the curvilinear portions.

4. A flexible bag, as set forth in claim 3, in which said linear portion is generally parallel with and spaced apart from gusset fold.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,405,863 10/1968 Kugler 22957 3,412,926 11/1968 Bostwick 22962 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 229, 57, 62 

